In 1992, he was the runner-up on "Star Search."

Eleven-year-old Timberlake — then going by his first and middle names, Justin Randall — had his first brush with fame on the storied talent search show.

He was beat by a young singer named Anna Nardona. According to CBS, Nardona didn't even realize the Justin she beat was Justin Timberlake until decades later, when she was contacted by VH1 for a flashback special.

"We were at the age when you just soak in everything," Timberlake told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. "We were taking acting classes, music classes, dance classes. We were learning how coverage and editing and cinematography work. And being put in front of a live audience, learning how to engage the crowd to get a laugh. Honestly, it was like 'SNL' for children."

*NSYNC was formed in 1995.

Former Mouseketeers Timberlake and J. C. Chasez were already writing songs and recording demos together when Chris Kirkpatrick came knocking to form a pop group.

As the legend goes, the three of them moved to Orlando; coincidentally ran into an old acquaintance, Joey Fatone, on Seventies night at the club Pleasure Island; brought in Jason Galasso before deciding he wasn't the right fit; and finally replaced Galasso with Lance Bass, who they recruited from a high school in Mississippi, thanks to a connection with Timberlake's vocal coach.

The boy band released their debut self-titled album in the US on March 24, 1998. Following a disappointing debut, it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 after they performed on a Disney Channel concert special that summer.

Timberlake became the natural leader of the boy band.

*NSYNC performing in 1999.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Timberlake, 14 years old when the group formed and 17 when their debut album was released, was the youngest member by far. He took on lead vocals alongside Chasez and went on to shoulder much of the songwriting responsibilities.

"He's restless, driven, polite and pleasant — especially pleasant, positive, and encouraging when coaching Chris on his vocals," Rolling Stone reporter Touré wrote about Timberlake in 2001. He was the only member interviewed when *NSYNC nabbed one of the magazine's "people of the year" distinctions.

Around this time, Timberlake began dating Britney Spears.

The two met on "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club."
Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Although Timberlake had been romantically linked to Britney Spears as early as 1998, he played it coy when asked about their relationship in 2000. (Timberlake later said they were together for four years.)

"Britney's a good friend of mine; I've known her since I was 12," he told Rolling Stone in 2000 when asked if they were dating. "I don't like to comment on my personal life anymore. Everything gets blown out of proportion. I've been in the tabloids, and I don't enjoy it."

They stepped out as a couple, however, less than six months later at the MTV Video Music Awards.

"I think my girl is fine," he told Rolling Stone a year later in 2001. "I scored. What can I say? The thing is, so many girls you meet in this business are so into themselves, and Britney is not. She's as down-home as she was before she got into this. That's the best thing about her. I got the cream of the crop, man!"

*NSYNC's sophomore album shot to No. 1 upon its release on April 8, 2000.

"No Strings Attached" was *NSYNC's second album out of three and the group's most popular commercially.
*NSYNC / Jive Records

After leaving RCA and counter-suing their management company, the group produced and released "No Strings Attached" largely without the help of a major record label.

"This is our record. The record company didn't send anyone to us," Chasez told Rolling Stone at the time. "It was a sticky situation. A lot of creative people we approached didn't want to work with us. We didn't have a contract saying that any of these songs would make it on the album when we did get a new deal. So the people who worked with us were straight up about the music. And that was amazing."

"Sorry about the tight space! My other limo's in the shop right now," is an actual line of dialogue that Justin Timberlake delivers in this movie.
Disney Channel

Timberlake played a male model named Jason Sharp, who was saving up for grad school so he could become an astronomer. Maggie Lawson played two strangers who looked identical, one a model (Jason's girlfriend) and the other a high school student (Jason's true love), who switch places.

The boys were then joined by Aerosmith. Timberlake and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler even had a dance-off. Finally, Spears showed up — followed by special guests Mary J. Blige and Nelly — to shut down the show.

But they split just one month later.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake arrive at the 29th Annual American Music Awards in January 2002.
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

While breakup reports swirled around the power couple, their publicist issued a statement on March 20: "They love each other very much and have not broken up." Just five days later, however, Spears declared she was single at a press conference in London.

"We all wanted to do it, and we were ready to do it," he said. "Performing at stadiums every night for 50,000 fans takes a little out of you. I was 14 when we started, and we've been touring for the last seven years. The time was right; we were all in the same zone. This album is what I wanted to do."

It wasn't until 2007 that Bass confirmed the "hiatus" was, indeed, permanent, writing in his 2007 book "Out of Sync" that "Justin made it clear that he wouldn't be interested in discussing another album any time soon."

"I felt like I cared more about the music than some of the other people in the group," he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. "I felt like I had other music I wanted to make and that I needed to follow my heart."

"It's no embarrassment to say that the powerful transition captured on 'Justified' could never be duplicated by him again, or anyone else," Weiss writes. "That's the 21-year-old captured on his debut album: ready to take over the world, and not unaware of how ridiculous that is."

The controversial music video for "Cry Me a River" premiered on November 25, 2002.

"Cry Me a River," the second single from Timberlake's debut album, was a clear standout thanks to his impressive vocal range on full display, Timbaland's thumping production — and, of course, the scathing, petty lyrics about a cheating partner, whom everyone assumed to be Spears.

Timberlake has repeatedly denied that Spears inspired the song or video, but his ex tells a different story.

"He called me up and wanted to supposedly get back together or whatever, but behind it was, 'And by the way, you're in a video that's coming out.' That kind of got slipped in. 'Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal,'" Spears told Rolling Stone in 2011. "I had the power to say no to the video. But I didn't, because I thought, 'Hey, it's your video.'"

"I hadn't seen it. Then it came out, and I said, 'I should've freakin' said no to this s---!'" she continued. "And I said, 'Why did you do this?' He goes, 'Well, I got a controversial video.' And I was like, 'You did. Yay for you.' So he got what he wanted. I think it looks like such a desperate attempt, personally. But that was a great way to sell the record. He's smart."

When Timberlake delivered the final line, "Hurry up, 'cause you're taking too long / I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song," he performed a choreographed move to rip away the front portion of Jackson's black Alexander McQueen-designed costume that was covering her right breast.

For 9/16ths of a second, Jackson's breast — complete with a sun-shaped piece of nipple jewelry — was displayed to the entire viewing audience.

Timberlake's sophomore album "FutureSex/LoveSounds" dropped on September 8, 2006.

"FutureSex/LoveSounds" was also nominated for best pop vocal album, but lost to "Continuum" by John Mayer.
Justin Timberlake/Jive Records

"FutureSex/LoveSounds" has been listed among the 100 best albums of the 2000s by a myriad of major music publications, including Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Complex.

It was nominated for album of the year at the 2006 Grammys, but ultimately lost to "Taking the Long Way" by the Dixie Chicks. Timberlake did, however, win best rap/sung collaboration for "My Love," best dance recording for "SexyBack," best dance recording the following year for "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows," and best male pop vocal performance for "What Goes Around... Comes Around."

With "Summer Love" (following the successes of "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around"), the album became the only one by a male artist in history to generate four No. 1 songs on the Billboard Pop Songs chart.

He began dating Jessica Biel in early 2007.

The couple attended a football game on October 7, 2007.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Timberlake met Biel at the Golden Globes in January 2007. Biel's "7th Heaven" costar and pal Beverly Mitchell later talked about the initial encounter, revealing that she got to witness the sparks fly firsthand.

In November 2009, it was announced that Timberlake had been cast in "The Social Network."

Timberlake scored a role in Facebook's highly anticipated origin story. The pop star was cast as Sean Parker, who co-founded the music sharing website Napster and went on to become Facebook's founding president,

"Friends With Benefits" director Will Gluck told The Hollywood Reporter that he cast Timberlake thanks to his stints on "Saturday Night Live": "On 'SNL,' he was so funny and natural and likable and encapsulated so many different characters. I just knew this guy was really good."

Timberlake also starred in the sci-fi thriller "In Time," released in November 2011, alongside Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy.

On October 19, 2012, Timberlake and Biel tied the knot.

"It was a total fantasy experience," Jessica Biel told People.
People

The couple tied the knot at the castle-like Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia, Italy. Timberlake serenaded his soon-to-be wife as she walked down the aisle in a pink custom-made Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown.

Timberlake officially returned to music in January 2013 with "Suit & Tie."

"I think I'M READY," Timberlake wrote on Twitter in early January, posting a link to a YouTube video that shows him walking into a studio and explaining why he hadn't released new music in seven years.

"The inspiration for this really came out of the blue and to be honest, I didn't expect anything out of it," he wrote in an open letter on his website. "I just went into the studio and started playing around with some sounds and songs. It was probably the best time I've had in my career... Just creating with no rules and/or end goal in mind and really enjoying the process."

"Suit & Tie" was later nominated at the 2013 Grammys for best pop duo/group performance and won best music video.

He released two No. 1 albums in 2014.

Timberlake's third studio album, "The 20/20 Experience," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts. He followed it up with "The 20/20 Experience (2 of 2)" later that year, which also shot to No. 1.

"The 20/20 Experience - The Complete Experience" was nominated for best pop vocal album at the 2013 Grammys. Two of the album's singles, "Suit & Tie" amd "Mirrors" — as well as the collaboration "Holy Grail," which appeared on Jay-Z' s album — also received nods.

Timberlake released his most divisive album yet, "Man of the Woods," on February 2, 2018.

Timberlake named his album after his son, Silas, whose name means "from the forest."
Justin Timberlake/RCA

For "Man of the Woods," Timberlake continued to distort R&B sounds and work with reliable collaborators like Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, and The Neptunes — but he also leaned into country and folk more so than ever before.

"It sounds more like where I've come from than any other music I've ever made," he told THR while working on the album. "It's Memphis. It's Southern American music. But I want to make it sound modern — at least that's the idea right now."

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